The Father Sings
Zephaniah 3:14-20 NKJV
[14] Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! [15] The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. [16] In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. [17] The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” [18] “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden. [19] Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame. [20] At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes,” Says the Lord.
Who reads the Holy Spirit inspired Book Of Zephaniah?
If you have not you should!
There is always something that needs to be straightened out. There is always a refining process. There is always something we need to improve. Not just in our everyday life but more importantly our Spiritual life. The only way our Worldly lives improve is when our Relationship with Jesus improves.
Through all the Minor Prophets it all starts with a rebuke.
What’s the purpose for this rebuke?
To show us that we need to be straightened out.
These Prophets of God were sent to give a message that is hard to give.
What’s the message?
Repent or receive God’s Hand of Judgement.
To Turn from what has been separating yourself from God, turn away from our sin then turn to the Lord for His Salvation and Restoration.
What is the purpose of hope?
Hope is our motivation to be obedient to God. Hope is what keeps a Follower of Jesus Christ moving forward.
Even though these messages were hard the prophets wanted to encourage God’s people to submit to God’s will and do what He commanded. This is hard for us to hear sometimes but harder to follow. We have been taught and been misguided that we can have whatever we want whenever we want it how ever we choose
When it comes to the promises of God it’s a completely different situation. He makes us promises, but there’s one catch.
God has made unbreakable covenants with His people. Those covenants blessings come to HIS people!
But these blessings only come when they obey HIS covenant conditions.
It shows us today just how far we can stray from the Lord. The Prophet was sent by God to give warning! A true Prophet of God would tell the people to repent before God’s wrath came upon a sin filled people.
There are roots to all of our Sins.
And Zephaniah points out to Jerusalem not only how but why they have sinned against a Holy and Righteous God.
We are told to examine our hearts. How do you even start to do that?
When we come to the Lord, what do you do to look back and see where we fall short of His Righteousness.
To truly dig deep and examine what’s in our hearts that keeps us from an intimate relationship with our Creator.
Jerusalem did not obey His voice. God called to His people, but they did not listen.
When we hear the Word of God do we listen?
Jerusalem didn’t receive correction from God.
Correction from the Lord always comes and no one is above it. His correction is perfect because He corrects those that He loves!
Jerusalem did not trust the Lord.
She, Jerusalem, has not drawn near to her God.
The moment we step away from the Lord we lose. We lose His direction. We lose His protection. We no longer have His Blessing. We can’t say that He directs our paths if we are not on the one He has told to be on.
We stop obeying His voice. We stop taking His corrections. We lose trust, then we can end up falling away from Him. And that’s exactly what Israel did.
We are commanded to be different. To be made Holy and to be separated from the world. God accepts only a certain set of standards. And anytime we step away from these standards we become at risk of being an enemy if we are not covered by the Shed Blood of His Son Jesus Christ.
Did you obey His voice?
Did you take His correction?
Did you trust in Him and Him alone?
Did you draw near?
When you examine your hearts use these four statements to help guide you to have a true repenting heart. You have to restore your relationship with the Father before He can restore anything else.
Then the Prophet would give a word of hope and restoration.
With restoration comes repentance, Salvation, hope and peace.
Peace.
We all desire some form of peace.
Peace in our hearts, our minds or our situations.
With peace comes calm. There’s a steadfastness to it. It brings stillness and quiet.
The Lord says something absolutely astonishing!
Zephaniah 3:17
He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
God gives that promise! Have you ever been quieted by the love of God!
Trying to understand in our small human minds how much God loves us is hard. But to know that He does love us will quiet us!
Knowing His love will comfort us. It will give us the rest that we all so desperately want and that peace that we so desire!
The Father of Heaven and Earth goes beyond what we could ever expect.
He quiets us with His love, and that should be enough!
He will rejoice over you with singing!
He will rejoice over you with singing!
Have you ever thought of God singing to you?
We don’t think of God singing, but He does — and He sings over His people.
And I can’t even start to imagine what that would sound like!
I’m positive that it would be the most beautiful, precious Holy song our ears would hear and our hearts would receive!
This is how much joy and delight we give to the LORD when we repent and obey and seek His Righteousness — that He breaks into song!
Charles Spurgeon said this:
“Think of the great Jehovah singing! Can you imagine it? Is it possible to conceive of the Deity breaking into a song: Father, Son and Holy Ghost together singing over the redeemed? God is so happy in the love which he bears to his people that he breaks the eternal silence, and sun and moon and stars with astonishment hear God chanting a hymn of joy.”
If that’s not the joy of God over one repenting restored heart then I don’t know what is!
How happy is the Shepherd when He leaves the 99 to find the 1!
God the Father sings to the remnant entering His Kingdom. They understand, they have obeyed His voice, taken His correction, trust Him in all things and to draw near to Him and cling on to Him with every last ounce of everything they have!
We shouldn’t repent to save our own souls anymore, we should repent to bring that joy to the Father’s Heart! To see the joy on His face as He welcomes His forgiven child. To see their clean heart and clean hands. To see His Sons Holiness and Righteousness, with such joy that He sings a song over your Redeemed soul!
Repent and be restored. Take His correction, trust and cling to Him today!
Do it for the sake of His Righteousness!
Let your ears and hearts long to hear the Father sing!
Pastor Ed
